A wide range of fence types are available for residential and commercial applications including, among other uses, an enclosure; boarding, or containment structure such as a cage, pen, or kennel; a boundary element for a yard, playground, or prison; crowd control; safety and security applications; and many others.
These fence types may include the quintessential “white picket fence” constructed of wood or plastic, but also commonly include some variation of a reticulated wire or wire mesh panel made of metal. For metal fences, the choice of metal typically is dependent on a number of factors including strength-to-weight-ratio, corrosive resistance, ease of maintenance, and visual appeal. In some applications, the metal wire may include a plastic or rubber coating.
Metal fences already exist with horizontal bends in the mesh fence. Those bends can add structural rigidity to the mesh, in the horizontal direction. Bending the fence in this way to add structural rigidity is generally a relatively less expensive and stronger alternative than, for example, using larger diameter wire. Among other alternatives to further increase rigidity and strength, a second horizontal wire or set of wires may be positioned parallel to the first set of horizontal wires. These practices (bending and/or extra wires) can avoid or reduce the necessity and costs of using a horizontal tubular rail or other bracing to provide stiffness in the fence.
For metal or other types of fences, vertical rigidity in fencing is typically achieved by attaching the fence material to a post or frame connected to a footing secured to the ground or other fixed object. Generally, one or more collar-type connectors or other fastening devices facilitates attachment of the fence material to the post.
Another type of fence that provides substantial horizontal and vertical rigidity can be described as “framed wire fence panels.” These generally include an exterior frame fabricated from tubular metal posts or similar relatively heavy material, with wire mesh mounted within and covering the interior area enclosed by the frame. Although relatively stiff and although they provide various benefits, such wire frame panels have a number of drawbacks. For example, the manufacture of framed wire fence panels is generally considered labor intensive (and therefore relatively expensive), since the process involves manually attaching the wire mesh fill to the framing material. In addition, frames such as the familiar tubular type post used in many applications substantially increase freight weight, handling difficulty, and bulkiness, which typically results in greater shipping costs for less fence length when compared to a fence panel without such bulky posts. Even if the tubular posts/frames are shipped separately, the total shipping weight for the assembly remains the same (although under such a “ship unassembled” approach, the intensive labor needed to assemble the fence is left to the end user). The manufactured wire fencing is commonly packaged in rolls, or cut into sheets or panels prior to shipping.
The present invention addresses some or all of these problems (among other potential benefits of the invention). As explained herein, various embodiments of the invention can provide a fence panel having, among other things, improved shipping efficiency (nestability), strength-to-weight characteristics, and handling capabilities when compared to existing fence designs known to the inventor. These and other advantages of the apparatus and methods of the present invention will become readily apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art, by reading the following disclosure of the invention and viewed in light of the accompanying figures.